My parents had third and seventh grade educations. My father was born in 1907 and my mother 1914 . Born not far removed from slavery. They both grew up in Louisiana.  They both worked as sharecroppers . My father heard they were hiring blacks at The Naval shipyard in Bremerton Washington ,so he decided to go to Washington State and save and send for my mother and my older siblings. My father had never punched a timeclock  and could not take the name calling and disrespect , but reained in the shipyard five years, long enough to save to send for my mom and siblings.

He also had saved enough to buy ten acres of land in Renton Washington.. This was 1953 the year that I was born. A couple days after I was born I was brought home to this land that my parents and older siblings mostly cleared by hand.

Since my father grew up in Louisiana farming, we raised pigs, chickens,and cattle. We also had a horse.. My father also junked cars and tore down buildings in Renton and Seattle areas. He salvaged lumber,windows and plumbling and then resold. On the otherhand my mother cleaned houses. This was a working farm because we sold and traded pork,chickens and eggs. We sold car parts also. We would strip metals from the old cars and then burn the cars and sell the bodies of the cars for iron and tin in Seattle.

 

I forgot to mention that there were very few black families in Renton and our land was the only street that black people were able to buy. White people did not want land in that area so  the land on that street was mostly black owmed. It was said to be swampy, which it was and there was a creek that ran through most of the black landowners property. It was perfect for us, because our animals always had water.

 

A few years later, people started stopping by and offers to buy the land started coming. Well dressed white men in nice cars. The first time my parents refused to sell, soon after our house burned down. We actually lived in a shed while my parents were figuring out what to do. My father had a house tear down job , so my parents decided to have that house moved to their land and that house was soon our new home. That new home was then burned down and another offer to my parents to sell to The Renton School District . Their reason was for a new Junior High, which was confusing since there was a juniot high about a mile from our front door that me and my siblings walked to. My parents also refused the offer after the second house burned down and not long after we moved back in, anexplosive was set off on our front porch. My parents refused still to sell to school district and then came eminent domain threats.

 

My father could not read and did not have money to hire lawyer and I am sure they took that into consideration.

My father was done. He wanted to leave Renton and he did. He had saw these things happen to black people before. My parents divorced and he moved two hundred miles away.My mother then had to work two jobs, cleaning houses during the day and a janitor at night to take care of me and my teenage siblings. My family was destroyed by this.

 

 

The district never built a school because there was no need then or now. The District sold the land to developers who built over one hundred homes and townhouses. To this dat The Renton School District rexeives tax and bond money from every home on that land.

 

I know that the district has the power to make my family whole. They forced my parents from their land and generational wealth. They receive monies today, while my family still faces struggles.

 

I hope you will sign my petition and help my family get some closure.

 

John Houston